tricks – Backerjack

Fulfill your wildest fantasies by combining a BMX bike with the joys of a trampoline

Everyone knows BMXers love rock music, energy drinks, heights, extreme trickage, and….trampolines?

Well, you can be forgiven for not knowing the last one because you probably haven’t heard of the Tramp Bike. Who knew this guilty pleasure was a thing? The Tramp Bike is essentially a BMX bike with no attached wheels. Apparently, the burning desire to jump up and down on a trampoline was so strong that someone actually developed a wheel-less BMX bike in order to satiate that want. Appropriately, the bike is advertised as a “bike for Trampolines.”

Simple enough.

On the hand, this product is extremely gimmicky given that pretty much anyone can take the wheels off of their current BMX bike and strap some pillows on in their place. On the other hand, the Tram Bike can arguably provide hours of valuable practice time for tricksters looking to perfect that last rotation on their tail whip.

All things considered, it still seems like a better bet for BMXers to get onto the track themselves as it’s doubtful that a trampoline will help their riding game. In any case, a single Tramp Bike goes for $250. It’s scheduled to ship in January 2016 provided its $10,000 goal is met.

No tricks are too tricky to measure for the iddo BMX sensor

The entire genre of points-based, extreme sport video games was popularized by the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater franchise. Not only did the title raise awareness for skateboarding, it raised awareness for other extreme sports as well, including BMX.

From video game consoles to the real world comes iddo, a BMX sensor that lets riders experience a new way of interacting with their rides. The iddo sensor can recognize specific details for a number of tricks, including speed and height data along with the accuracy of the trick itself. This data is recorded with a companion app which allows riders to analyze laps, compete against earlier times using a ghost mode, and share these achievements with friends. Challenges are also available for those who harbor a competitive streak. The campaign is aiming for €40,000 (~$44,200) in funding. Each iddo and access to its premium app will go for €159 (~$176). The device is expected to ship in September 2015.

The iddo is certainly a novel device, and when combined with gadgets like the Jalapeño and Removu P1, interest in the sport of BMX will only rise. With so many new ways to record BMX performances, both statistically and visually, extreme sports in general are poised for yet another renaissance.